Pepper hybrid PX11423782

ABSTRACT

The invention provides seed and plants of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a pepper plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another pepper plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of plant breeding and, morespecifically, to the development of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and theinbred pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The goal of vegetable breeding is to combine various desirable traits ina single variety/hybrid. Such desirable traits may include any traitdeemed beneficial by a grower and/or consumer, including greater yield,resistance to insects or disease, tolerance to environmental stress, andnutritional value.

Breeding techniques take advantage of a plant's method of pollination.There are two general methods of pollination: a plant self-pollinates ifpollen from one flower is transferred to the same or another flower ofthe same plant or plant variety. A plant cross-pollinates if pollencomes to it from a flower of a different plant variety.

Plants that have been self-pollinated and selected for type over manygenerations become homozygous at almost all gene loci and produce auniform population of true breeding progeny, a homozygous plant. A crossbetween two such homozygous plants of different genotypes produces auniform population of hybrid plants that are heterozygous for many geneloci. Conversely, a cross of two plants each heterozygous at a number ofloci produces a population of hybrid plants that differ genetically andare not uniform. The resulting non-uniformity makes performanceunpredictable.

The development of uniform varieties requires the development ofhomozygous inbred plants, the crossing of these inbred plants, and theevaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection areexamples of breeding methods that have been used to develop inbredplants from breeding populations. Those breeding methods combine thegenetic backgrounds from two or more plants or various other broad-basedsources into breeding pools from which new lines and hybrids derivedtherefrom are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new lines and hybrids are evaluated to determine which of those havecommercial potential.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention provides a pepper plant of thehybrid designated PX11423782, the pepper line SHY114-1080 or pepper lineSHY1141144. Also provided are pepper plants having all the physiologicaland morphological characteristics of such a plant. Parts of these pepperplants are also provided, for example, including pollen, an ovule,scion, a rootstock, a fruit, and a cell of the plant.

In another aspect of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid PX11423782and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 comprising an addedheritable trait is provided. The heritable trait may comprise a geneticlocus that is, for example, a dominant or recessive allele. In oneembodiment of the invention, a plant of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and/orpepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 is defined as comprising asingle locus conversion. In specific embodiments of the invention, anadded genetic locus confers one or more traits such as, for example,herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, and modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism. In further embodiments, the trait may beconferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of aline by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgeneintroduced through genetic transformation techniques into the plant or aprogenitor of any previous generation thereof. When introduced throughtransformation, a genetic locus may comprise one or more genesintegrated at a single chromosomal location.

The invention also concerns the seed of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and/orpepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144. The pepper seed of theinvention may be provided as an essentially homogeneous population ofpepper seed of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080and SHY1141144. Essentially homogeneous populations of seed aregenerally free from substantial numbers of other seed. Therefore, seedof hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 maybe defined as forming at least about 97% of the total seed, including atleast about 98%, 99% or more of the seed. The seed population may beseparately grown to provide an essentially homogeneous population ofpepper plants designated PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 andSHY1141144.

In yet another aspect of the invention, a tissue culture of regenerablecells of a pepper plant of hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper linesSHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 is provided. The tissue culture willpreferably be capable of regenerating pepper plants capable ofexpressing all of the physiological and morphological characteristics ofthe starting plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially thesame genotype as the starting plant. Examples of some of thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the hybrid PX11423782and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 include those traits setforth in the tables herein. The regenerable cells in such tissuecultures may be derived, for example, from embryos, meristems,cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, root tips, pistils, flowers,seed and stalks. Still further, the present invention provides pepperplants regenerated from a tissue culture of the invention, the plantshaving all the physiological and morphological characteristics of hybridPX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, processes are provided forproducing pepper seeds, plants and fruit, which processes generallycomprise crossing a first parent pepper plant with a second parentpepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or second parent pepperplants is a plant of pepper line SHY114-1080 or pepper line SHY1141144.These processes may be further exemplified as processes for preparinghybrid pepper seed or plants, wherein a first pepper plant is crossedwith a second pepper plant of a different, distinct genotype to providea hybrid that has, as one of its parents, a plant of pepper lineSHY114-1080 or pepper line SHY1141144. In these processes, crossing willresult in the production of seed. The seed production occurs regardlessof whether the seed is collected or not.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first step in “crossing”comprises planting seeds of a first and second parent pepper plant,often in proximity so that pollination will occur for example, mediatedby insect vectors. Alternatively, pollen can be transferred manually.Where the plant is self-pollinated, pollination may occur without theneed for direct human intervention other than plant cultivation.

A second step may comprise cultivating or growing the seeds of first andsecond parent pepper plants into plants that bear flowers. A third stepmay comprise preventing self-pollination of the plants, such as byemasculating the flowers (i.e., killing or removing the pollen).

A fourth step for a hybrid cross may comprise cross-pollination betweenthe first and second parent pepper plants. Yet another step comprisesharvesting the seeds from at least one of the parent pepper plants. Theharvested seed can be grown to produce a pepper plant or hybrid pepperplant.

The present invention also provides the pepper seeds and plants producedby a process that comprises crossing a first parent pepper plant with asecond parent pepper plant, wherein at least one of the first or secondparent pepper plants is a plant of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and/orpepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144. In one embodiment of theinvention, pepper seed and plants produced by the process are firstgeneration (F₁) hybrid pepper seed and plants produced by crossing aplant in accordance with the invention with another, distinct plant. Thepresent invention further contemplates plant parts of such an F₁ hybridpepper plant, and methods of use thereof. Therefore, certain exemplaryembodiments of the invention provide an F₁ hybrid pepper plant and seedthereof.

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method ofproducing a plant derived from hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper linesSHY114-1080 and SHY1141144, the method comprising the steps of: (a)preparing a progeny plant derived from hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepperlines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144, wherein said preparing comprisescrossing a plant of the hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper linesSHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 with a second plant; and (b) crossing theprogeny plant with itself or a second plant to produce a seed of aprogeny plant of a subsequent generation. In further embodiments, themethod may additionally comprise: (c) growing a progeny plant of asubsequent generation from said seed of a progeny plant of a subsequentgeneration and crossing the progeny plant of a subsequent generationwith itself or a second plant; and repeating the steps for an additional3-10 generations to produce a plant derived from hybrid PX11423782and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144. The plant derived fromhybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 may bean inbred line, and the aforementioned repeated crossing steps may bedefined as comprising sufficient inbreeding to produce the inbred line.In the method, it may be desirable to select particular plants resultingfrom step (c) for continued crossing according to steps (b) and (c). Byselecting plants having one or more desirable traits, a plant derivedfrom hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 isobtained which possesses some of the desirable traits of the line/hybridas well as potentially other selected traits.

In certain embodiments, the present invention provides a method ofproducing food or feed comprising: (a) obtaining a plant of pepperhybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity, and (b) collecting atleast one pepper from the plant.

In still yet another aspect of the invention, the genetic complement ofpepper hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144is provided. The phrase “genetic complement” is used to refer to theaggregate of nucleotide sequences, the expression of which sequencesdefines the phenotype of, in the present case, a pepper plant, or a cellor tissue of that plant. A genetic complement thus represents thegenetic makeup of a cell, tissue or plant, and a hybrid geneticcomplement represents the genetic make up of a hybrid cell, tissue orplant. The invention thus provides pepper plant cells that have agenetic complement in accordance with the pepper plant cells disclosedherein, and seeds and plants containing such cells.

Plant genetic complements may be assessed by genetic marker profiles,and by the expression of phenotypic traits that are characteristic ofthe expression of the genetic complement, e.g., isozyme typing profiles.It is understood that hybrid PX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080and SHY1141144 could be identified by any of the many well knowntechniques such as, for example, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

In still yet another aspect, the present invention provides hybridgenetic complements, as represented by pepper plant cells, tissues,plants, and seeds, formed by the combination of a haploid geneticcomplement of a pepper plant of the invention with a haploid geneticcomplement of a second pepper plant, preferably, another, distinctpepper plant. In another aspect, the present invention provides a pepperplant regenerated from a tissue culture that comprises a hybrid geneticcomplement of this invention.

Any embodiment discussed herein with respect to one aspect of theinvention applies to other aspects of the invention as well, unlessspecifically noted.

The term “about” is used to indicate that a value includes the standarddeviation of the mean for the device or method being employed todetermine the value. The use of the term “or” in the claims is used tomean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives onlyor the alternatives are mutually exclusive. When used in conjunctionwith the word “comprising” or other open language in the claims, thewords “a” and “an” denote “one or more,” unless specifically notedotherwise. The terms “comprise,” “have” and “include” are open-endedlinking verbs. Any forms or tenses of one or more of these verbs, suchas “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes” and“including,” are also open-ended. For example, any method that“comprises,” “has” or “includes” one or more steps is not limited topossessing only those one or more steps and also covers other unlistedsteps. Similarly, any plant that “comprises,” “has” or “includes” one ormore traits is not limited to possessing only those one or more traitsand covers other unlisted traits.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description. It should beunderstood, however, that the detailed description and any specificexamples provided, while indicating specific embodiments of theinvention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from this detaileddescription.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides methods and compositions relating to plants,seeds and derivatives of pepper hybrid PX11423782, pepper lineSHY114-1080 and pepper line SHY1141144.

PX11423782 is a sweet banana pepper with typical sweet banana fruittype, typical sweet banana shape, smell, sugar content, and flavor. Ithas higher yield, mainly due to larger fruits, which are approximately 5cm longer than the standard O.P. variety ‘Sweet Banana’. This hybrid isgrown primarily in the U.S. for harvest as white fruits for processinginto pickled rings. It exhibits excellent processed fruit quality due toits white color and high sugar content.

The fruits of PX11423782 average 22 cm long×5 cm wide, with typicalsweet banana shape and smell. Immature color is white (or very lightyellow in some environments), and fruits mature to red. Fruit pungencyis sweet. It has higher yield (1916 g/plant, compared to the O.P.variety ‘Sweet Banana’ at 1440 g/plant) mainly due to longer fruits (22cm vs 17 cm) and more fruits per plant (30 vs 26). Fruit weight washeavier than the O.P. ‘Sweet Banana’ (64.5 g vs 55.5 g). Plant heightaverage 70 cm, with a semi-spreading plant habit. It is ready to harvestat the white stage at approximately 85 days after transplanting,compared to 87 days for the standard O.P. variety ‘Sweet Banana’.PX11423782 is tolerant to races 1-3 of Xanthomonas campestris pv.vesicatoria (Xcv), whereas “Sweet Banana” is susceptible to races 1-3 ofXcv. PX11423782 is well-adapted to the main sweet banana growing areasof the U.S., with excellent processed fruit quality.

A. Origin And Breeding History Of Pepper Hybrid PX11423782

The parents of hybrid PX11423782, also known as PX 1142-3782, areSHY114-1080 and SHY1141144. These parents were created as follows:

PX11423782 was initially created by crossing SHY114-1080 as the femaleto SHY1141144 as the male in the fall of Year 12. Seeds were harvestedfrom the female in December of Year 12. Hybrid was first tested inSeminis Woodland field during the summer of Year 13.

The parent SHY114-1080, also known as SHY1141080 and SHY-114-1080, wasdeveloped at Seminis's Northern California breeding station at Woodland,Calif. (CAWO) and Seminis's Florida breeding station at Felda (FLFE).SHY114-1080 was developed by crossing PSR 1003 by XVR 3-25 from theUniversity of Florida. XVR 3-25 contains the Bs2 gene. A selection fromPSR 1003 was designated HP 63, and the Bs2 gene was backcrossed 9 timesinto HP 63 over the next 5 years. This line was then crossed to alandrace called Rubio de Mallorca from Spain.

The selections made can be summarized as follows:

-   -   January, Year 1 Planted F1 in the open field at Felda, Fla.        (FLFE). Selfed 1 plant.    -   July, Year 1 Planted 100 F2 individual plant selections in the        open field at FLFE. Selected several individual F2 plants.    -   May, Year 2 Planted 15 F3 families in the open field in CAWO. 12        individual plants from a total of 8 F3 families were selected.    -   January, Year 3 Planted 12 F4 families in the open field in        FLFE. Selected 5 individual plants from 5 F4 families.    -   July, Year 3 Planted 5 F5 families in the open field in FLFE.        Selected 1 plant from each family. One plant, designated 93LB        5022-1, was selected as being pure and designated SHY114-1080.        Seed of SHY114-1080 was given to Seminis' Foundation Seed (FS)        division in October of Year 15. Subsequent increases of        SHY114-1080 trace back to this plant.    -   January, Year 16 Planted 90 plants of SHY114-1080 in the field        at FLFE as an observation plot. Observations during the growing        season confirmed SHY114-1080 is uniform and stable.

The male parent SHY1141144, also known as SHY 114-1144 and SHY-114-1144,was developed at Seminis's Northern California breeding station atWoodland, Calif. (CAWO), Seminis's Florida breeding station at Felda(FLFE), and Seminis's Salama, Guatemala breeding station (GUSA).SHY1141144 was developed by pure line selection from the hybrid GoldenArrow, purchased from Stokes Seeds in Year 1.

The selections were made as follows:

-   -   July, Year 7 Planted hybrid in the greenhouse in CAWO to        self-pollinate.    -   May, Year 8 Planted F2 generation in the open field in CAWO.        Harvested 15 individual F2 plant selections.    -   January, Year 9 Planted 15 F3 families in the open field at        FLFE. Made 9 individual plant selections.    -   January, Year 10 Planted 9 F4 lines in the greenhouse at CAWO.        Selected 1 individual plant per family.    -   January, Year 11 Planted 9 F5 lines in the greenhouse at CAWO.        Selected 5 individual plants.    -   July, Year 11 Planted 5 F6 lines at CAWO. Selected 5 individual        plants.    -   July, Year 12 Planted 5 F7 lines in the greenhouse at CAWO.        Harvested seed from 1 plant from each line. One plant,        designated 0213-1703, was selected as being pure and designated        SHY1141144. It was subsequently multiplied twice, in Year 16 and        in Year 18. Seed of a Year 18 increase source designated        0801-3029 was given to Seminis' Foundation Seed (FS) division in        July of Year 19. Subsequent increases of SHY1141144 trace back        to this source.    -   January, Year 20 Planted 90 plants of SHY1141144 in the field at        FLFE as an observation plot. Observations during the growing        season confirmed SHY1141144 is uniform and stable

The parent lines are uniform and stable, as is a hybrid producedtherefrom. A small percentage of variants can occur within commerciallyacceptable limits for almost any characteristic during the course ofrepeated multiplication. However no variants are expected.

B. Physiological And Morphological Characteristics Of Pepper HybridPX11423782, Pepper Line SHY114-1080 And Pepper Line SHY1141144

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a plant having the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and the parent linesthereof. A description of the physiological and morphologicalcharacteristics of such plants is presented in Tables 1-3.

TABLE 1 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of HybridPX11423782 CHARACTERISTIC PX 11423782 Sweet Banana 1. Species C. annuumC. annuum 2. Maturity (in region of best adaptability) days fromtransplanting until 45 52 mature green stage days from transplantinguntil 70 93 mature red or yellow stage days from direct seeding until 8491 mature green stage days from direct seeding until 109 132 mature redor yellow stage 3. Plant habit semi-spreading semi-spreading attitudeupright/erect semi-upright/ (De Cayenne, Doux semi-erect très long desLandes, Piquant d'Algérie) plant height 42 cm 56.5 cm plant width 34 cm36.9 cm length of stem from cotyledon 14.6 cm 15.3 cm to first flowerlength of the third internode 72.6 mm 138 mm (from soil surface) lengthof stem medium (Belsir, long Lamuyo) shortened internode (in upperpresent (Fehér, absent part) Kalocsai 601, Kalocsai 702) for varietieswith shortened more than three internodes only: Plant: (Kalocsai 702)number of internodes between the first flower and the shortenedinternodes stem: hairiness of nodes weak (Andevalo, absent or very weakClovis) height medium (HRF) tall basal branches few (2-3) few branchflexibility willowy (Cayenne willowy Long Red) stem strength (breakagestrong intermediate resistance) length of blade medium (Atol, Blondy,short Marconi, Merit, Anthea) width of blade medium (Albaregia, mediumBalaton, Danubia, Marconi, Merit) 4. Leaf leaf width 45 mm 39 mm leaflength 88 mm 77.1 mm petiole length 62 mm 22.2 mm color medium greenmedium green RHS Color Chart Value 147A 137B intensity of green colormedium (Doux très medium long des Landes, Merit) mature leaf shapelanceolate (Diavolo, lanceolate Recio) leaf and stem pubescence absentabsent undulation of margin weak (Doux très long absent des Landes)blistering strong (Greygo, PAZ very weak pallagi) profile in crosssection strongly concave strongly concave (Slávy) glossiness weak (DeCayenne, medium Doux très long des Landes) peduncle: attitudesemi-drooping semi-drooping (Blondy) 5. Flower flowers per leaf axil 1 1calyx lobes 5 6.6 petals 5 6.6 diameter 19 mm 22.8 mm corolla colorwhite white corolla throat markings yellow yellow anther color purplepurple style length same as stamen same as stamen self-incompatibilityabsent absent 6. Fruit group Long Way (Sweet Anaheim Chili (Sandia)Banana) color (before maturity) yellow (Fehér, Sweet yellow banana)intensity of color (before medium light maturity) immature fruit coloryellow light green immature fruit color 154D 1B RHS Color Chart valueattitude/position erect/upright erect/upright (Kalocsai 601, Red Chili)length long (Doux d'Espagne, long Majister) diameter narrow (Doux trèslong narrow des Landes) ratio length/diameter very large (De largeCayenne, Kusamon, Spadi) calyx diameter 26.1 mm 22.6 mm length 144.2 mm132.7 mm diameter at calyx attachment 29.1 mm 30.3 mm diameter atmid-point 27.3 mm 23.8 mm flesh thickness at mid-point 2.4 mm 2.7 mmaverage number of fruits per 20.8 27.6 plant % large fruits (weightrange: (weight range: 20 to 40) 41 to 60) 62.80%   16% % medium fruits(weight range: (weight range: 10 to 19) 21 to 40) 28.20%   49% % smallfruits (weight range: (weight range: 1 to 9) 1 to 20) 8.90%   35%average fruit weight 23.4 gm 26.4 gm shape in longitudinal sectionhorn-shaped (Tauro) narrowly triangular shape in cross section (at levelcircular (Cherry Sweet, circular of placenta) Doux très long des Landes)sinuation of pericarp at basal medium (Duna, Banán) absent or very weakpart sinuation of pericarp absent or very weak absent or very weakexcluding basal part (Delphin, Milord) texture of surface slightlywrinkled slightly wrinkled (Doux très long des Landes) color (atmaturity) red (Fehér, Lamuyo) red intensity of color (at maturity) darkdark mature fruit color red red mature fruit color RHS Color 46A N34AChart value glossiness strong (Doux italien, moderate Trophy) stalkcavity absent (Corinto, Corno absent di toro, Sweet banana, Sucette deProvence) pedicel length 37.5 mm 32.3 mm pedicel thickness 5.2 mm 3.9 mmpedicel shape curved curved pedicel cavity absent absent stalk: lengthlong (De Cayenne, medium Sierra Nevada, Sweet banana) stalk: thicknessmedium (Doux italien, medium Surpas) base shape rounded rounded shape ofapex moderately acute very acute/pointed shape elongate (Long Thinelongate (Long Thin Cayenne) Cayenne) set concentrated concentrateddepth of interloculary grooves very shallow very shallow number oflocules predominantly two predominantly three (De Cayenne) % fruits withone locule 73% % fruits with two locules 20% % fruits with three locules20% 60% % fruits with four locules  7% 20% average number of locules 1.63 thickness of flesh medium (Fehér, thin Lamuyo) calyx: aspectenveloping (cup- enveloping (cup-shaped) shaped) (De Cayenne, Sweetbanana) pungency sweet sweet capsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) absentflavor mild pepper flavor strong pepper flavor glossiness shiny shiny 7.Seed seed cavity length 127 mm 118.2 mm seed cavity diameter 22.8 mm21.3 mm placenta length 170.9 mm 83.8 mm number of seeds per fruit 73.3121 grams per 1000 seeds 5 gm 5.6 gm color yellow yellow 8. Seedlinganthocyanin coloration of moderate strong hypocotyl plant: anthocyanincoloration weak absent of stem plant: anthocyanin coloration moderatestrong of nodes stem: intensity of anthocyanin medium (Clovis, mediumcoloration of nodes Lamuyo, Sonar) plant: anthocyanin coloration weakabsent of leaf plant: anthocyanin coloration absent absent of pedicelplant: anthocyanin coloration absent absent of calyx flower: anthocyaninpresent (Lamuyo) present coloration in anther fruit: anthocyanincoloration moderate moderate beginning of flowering (1^(st) early (Carrédoux extra early flower on 2^(nd) flowering node) hâtif, Cupido, Fehér,Flaviano, Lito, Trophy) time of maturity very early (Koral, very earlyMacska sárga, Madison) *These are typical values. Values may vary due toenvironment. Other values that are substantially equivalent are alsowithin the scope of the invention.

TABLE 2 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineSHY114-1080 CHARACTERISTIC SHY 114-1080 HHY 35-181 * HP 181 1. SpeciesC. annuum C. annuum 2. Maturity (in region of best adaptability) daysfrom transplanting until 62 67 mature green stage days fromtransplanting until 90 88 mature red or yellow stage days from directseeding until 100 104 mature green stage days from direct seeding until128 125 mature red or yellow stage 3. Plant habit compact spreadingattitude upright/erect semi-upright/ (De Cayenne, Doux semi-erect trèslong des Landes, Piquant d'Algérie) plant height 46.4 cm 38 cm plantwidth 47.4 cm 54 cm length of stem from cotyledon 15.1 cm 16 cm to firstflower length of the third internode 74.8 mm 105 mm (from soil surface)length of stem medium (Belsir, medium Lamuyo) shortened internode (inupper absent (California absent part) wonder, De Cayenne) for varietieswithout shortened short (Bandero, long internodes only: Plant: lengthBlondy, Danubia, of internode (on primary side Tenor) shoots) stem:hairiness of nodes absent or very weak absent or very weak (Arlequin)height short (Albaregia) medium basal branches none none branchflexibility rigid (Yolo Wonder) rigid stem strength (breakage strongweak resistance) length of blade long (Cupido, Dolmy, long Encore,Mazurka, Monte) width of blade medium (Albaregia, broad Balaton,Danubia, Marconi, Merit) 4. Leaf leaf width 48.1 mm 55 mm leaf length93.7 mm 115 mm petiole length 50.7 mm 40 mm color medium green darkgreen RHS Color Chart Value 137C 139A intensity of green color medium(Doux très dark long des Landes, Merit) mature leaf shape lanceolate(Diavolo, ovate Recio) leaf and stem pubescence absent light undulationof margin absent (De Cayenne) very weak blistering weak (Pusztagold)very weak profile in cross section strongly concave moderately concave(Slávy) glossiness strong (Andevalo, strong Floridor) peduncle: attitudeerect (Fehér, Red Chili) erect 5. Flower flowers per leaf axil 1 1 calyxlobes 6 7 petals 6 6 diameter 20 mm 24 mm corolla color white whitecorolla throat markings yellow yellow anther color purple purple stylelength exceeds stamen same as stamen self-incompatibility present 6.Fruit group Short Wax (Floral Short Wax (Floral Gem) Gem) color (beforematurity) green (California green wonder, Lamuyo) intensity of color(before light light maturity) immature fruit color light green lightgreen immature fruit color 1B N144B RHS Color Chart valueattitude/position drooping/pendent (De erect/upright Cayenne, Lamuyo)length medium (Fehér, medium Lamuyo) diameter narrow (Doux très longnarrow des Landes) ratio length/diameter large (Heldor, Lamuyo, largeMagister, Tenno, Vidi) calyx diameter 22.2 mm 22.7 mm length 133 mm116.1 mm diameter at calyx attachment 28.4 mm 30 mm diameter atmid-point 28 mm 32 mm flesh thickness at mid-point 2.5 mm 3.1 mm averagenumber of fruits per 30.8 48 plant % large fruits (weight range: (weightrange: 21 to 50) 25 to 36) 46% 15% % medium fruits (weight range:(weight range: 11 to 20) 13 to 24) 42.10%   55% % small fruits (weightrange: (weight range: 1 to 10) 1 to 12) 11.90%   30% average fruitweight 24.2 gm 17 gm shape in longitudinal section horn-shaped (Tauro)moderately triangular shape in cross section (at level elliptic (Sweetbanana) circular of placenta) sinuation of pericarp at basal absent orvery weak very weak part (Delphin, Kalocsai V-2, Milord) sinuation ofpericarp absent or very weak absent or very weak excluding basal part(Delphin, Milord) texture of surface smooth or very slightly smooth orvery slightly wrinkled (Milord) wrinkled color (at maturity) red (Fehér,Lamuyo) red intensity of color (at maturity) medium medium mature fruitcolor red red mature fruit color RHS Color 46A 46B Chart valueglossiness medium/moderate weak (Carré doux extra hâtif, Lamuyo, Sonar)stalk cavity absent (Corinto, Corno absent di toro, Sweet banana,Sucette de Provence) pedicel length 37.5 mm 57.5 mm pedicel thickness4.5 mm 5.7 mm pedicel shape curved straight pedicel cavity absent absentstalk: length long (De Cayenne, long Sierra Nevada, Sweet banana) stalk:thickness medium (Doux italien, medium Surpas) base shape roundedrounded shape of apex very acute/pointed moderately acute (De Cayenne,Hot chili) shape elongate (Long Thin conical (Pimento) Cayenne) setconcentrated concentrated depth of interloculary grooves shallow(Milord, shallow Topgirl) number of locules predominantly threepredominantly two (Century) % fruits with one locule 25% % fruits withtwo locules 40% 100%  % fruits with three locules 35%  0% average numberof locules 2.5 2 thickness of flesh medium (Fehér, thin Lamuyo) calyx:aspect enveloping (cup- enveloping shaped) (De Cayenne, Sweet Banana)pungency sweet hot capsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) present flavormoderate pepper flavor strong glossiness moderate dull 7. Seed seedcavity length 119.9 mm 92.8 mm seed cavity diameter 22.8 mm 23.9 mmplacenta length 52.3 mm 42.1 mm number of seeds per fruit 116 162 gramsper 1000 seeds 4.6 gm color yellow yellow 8. Seedling anthocyanincoloration of moderate weak hypocotyl plant: anthocyanin colorationabsent moderate of stem plant: anthocyanin coloration moderate moderateof nodes stem: intensity of anthocyanin medium (Clovis, strongcoloration of nodes Lamuyo, Sonar) plant: anthocyanin coloration absentabsent of leaf plant: anthocyanin coloration absent absent of pedicelplant: anthocyanin coloration absent absent of calyx flower: anthocyaninpresent (Lamuyo) present coloration in anther fruit: anthocyanincoloration moderate absent beginning of flowering (1^(st) early (Carrédoux extra early flower on 2^(nd) flowering node) hâtif, Cupido, Fehér,Flaviano, Lito, Trophy) time of maturity medium (Lamuyo, medium Latino,Sonar) *These are typical values. Values may vary due to environment.Other values that are substantially equivalent are also within the scopeof the invention.

TABLE 3 Physiological and Morphological Characteristics of LineSHY1141144 CHARACTERISTIC SHY 114-1144 Sweet Banana 1. Species C. annuumC. annuum 2. Maturity (in region of best adaptability) days fromtransplanting until 48 52 mature green stage days from transplantinguntil 70 93 mature red or yellow stage days from direct seeding until 8791 mature green stage days from direct seeding until 109 132 mature redor yellow stage 3. Plant habit compact semi-spreading attitudeupright/erect semi-upright/ (De Cayenne, Doux semi-erect très long desLandes, Piquant d'Algérie) plant height 44 cm 56.5 cm plant width 39 cm36.9 cm length of stem from cotyledon 11.1 cm 15.3 cm to first flowerlength of the third internode 99 mm 138 mm (from soil surface) length ofstem short (Delphin, Trophy) long shortened internode (in upper present(Fehér, absent part) Kalocsai 601, Kalocsai 702) for varieties withshortened more than three internodes only: Plant: (Kalocsai 702) numberof internodes between the first flower and the shortened internodesstem: hairiness of nodes absent or very weak absent or very weak(Arlequin) height short (Albaregia) tall basal branches few (2-3) fewbranch flexibility willowy (Cayenne willowy Long Red) stem strength(breakage intermediate intermediate resistance) length of blade long(Cupido, Dolmy, short Encore, Mazurka, Monte) width of blade medium(Albaregia, medium Balaton, Danubia, Marconi, Merit) 4. Leaf leaf width60 mm 39 mm leaf length 104 mm 77.1 mm petiole length 67 mm 22.2 mmcolor dark green medium green RHS Color Chart Value 137B 137B intensityof green color dark (Dolmy, Tinto) medium mature leaf shape lanceolate(Diavolo, lanceolate Recio) leaf and stem pubescence absent absentundulation of margin medium (Tenor) absent blistering weak (Pusztagold)very weak profile in cross section moderately concave strongly concave(Doux italien, Favolor) glossiness weak (De Cayenne, medium Doux trèslong des Landes) peduncle: attitude semi-drooping semi-drooping (Blondy)5. Flower flowers per leaf axil 1 1 calyx lobes 5 6.6 petals 6 6.6diameter 25 mm 22.8 mm corolla color white white corolla throat markingsyellow yellow anther color purple purple style length less than stamensame as stamen self-incompatibility absent absent 6. Fruit group LongWay (Sweet Anaheim Chili (Sandia) Banana) color (before maturity) yellow(Fehér, Sweet yellow banana) intensity of color (before light lightmaturity) immature fruit color yellow light green immature fruit color154D 1B RHS Color Chart value attitude/position horizontal (PAZerect/upright szentesi, Vinedale) length long (Doux d'Espagne, longMajister) diameter medium (Doux italien, narrow Corno di toro) ratiolength/diameter very large (De large Cayenne, Kusamon, Spadi) calyxdiameter 26.6 mm 22.6 mm length 145.8 mm 132.7 mm diameter at calyxattachment 39.7 mm 30.3 mm diameter at mid-point 33.2 mm 23.8 mm fleshthickness at mid-point 3.2 mm 2.7 mm average number of fruits per 18.227.6 plant % large fruits (weight range: (weight range: 40 to 80) 41 to60) 62% 16% % medium fruits (weight range: (weight range: 21 to 39) 21to 40) 27% 49% % small fruits (weight range: (weight range: 1 to 20) 1to 20) 11% 35% average fruit weight 34.4 gm 26.4 gm shape inlongitudinal section horn-shaped (Tauro) narrowly triangular shape incross section (at level quadrangular circular of placenta) sinuation ofpericarp at basal very strong (Édes absent or very weak part spiral,Doux italien) sinuation of pericarp very strong (Arabal) absent or veryweak excluding basal part texture of surface slightly wrinkled slightlywrinkled (Doux très long des Landes) color (at maturity) red (Fehér,Lamuyo) red intensity of color (at maturity) medium dark mature fruitcolor red red mature fruit color RHS Color 44A N34A Chart valueglossiness weak (Doux très long moderate des Landes) stalk cavitypresent (Bingor, absent Lamuyo) depth of stalk cavity medium (Lamuyo,Magister) pedicel length 37.6 mm 32.3 mm pedicel thickness 6.2 mm 3.9 mmpedicel shape straight curved pedicel cavity present absent depth ofpedicel cavity 13.7 mm stalk: length medium (Fehér, Sonar) medium stalk:thickness thick (Lamuyo, Trophy medium Palio) base shape rounded roundedshape of apex very acute/pointed very acute/pointed (De Cayenne, Hotchili) shape elongate (Long Thin elongate (Long Thin Cayenne) Cayenne)set concentrated concentrated depth of interloculary grooves absent (DeCayenne) very shallow number of locules equally three and fourpredominantly three (Lamuyo, Sonar) % fruits with one locule  7% %fruits with two locules 13% 20% % fruits with three locules 40% 60% %fruits with four locules 40% 20% average number of locules 3.1 3thickness of flesh medium (Fehér, thin Lamuyo) calyx: aspectnon-enveloping/ enveloping (cup-shaped) saucer-shaped (Lamuyo, Sonar)pungency sweet sweet capsaicin in placenta absent (Sonar) absent flavormild pepper flavor strong pepper flavor glossiness dull shiny 7. Seedseed cavity length 135.3 mm 118.2 mm seed cavity diameter 24.8 mm 21.3mm placenta length 93.9 mm 83.8 mm number of seeds per fruit 189 121grams per 1000 seeds 6.7 gm 5.6 gm color yellow yellow 8. Seedlinganthocyanin coloration of strong (Lamuyo) strong hypocotyl plant:anthocyanin coloration moderate absent of stem plant: anthocyanincoloration moderate strong of nodes stem: intensity of anthocyaninmedium (Clovis, medium coloration of nodes Lamuyo, Sonar) plant:anthocyanin coloration absent absent of leaf plant: anthocyanincoloration weak absent of pedicel plant: anthocyanin coloration absentabsent of calyx flower: anthocyanin present (Lamuyo) present colorationin anther fruit: anthocyanin coloration weak moderate beginning offlowering (1^(st) early (Carré doux extra early flower on 2^(nd)flowering node) hâtif, Cupido, Fehér, Flaviano, Lito, Trophy) time ofmaturity very early (Koral, very early Macska sárga, Madison) *These aretypical values. Values may vary due to environment. Other values thatare substantially equivalent are also within the scope of the invention.

C. Breeding Pepper Plants

One aspect of the current invention concerns methods for producing seedof pepper hybrid PX11423782 involving crossing pepper lines SHY114-1080and SHY1141144. Alternatively, in other embodiments of the invention,hybrid PX11423782, line SHY114-1080, or line SHY1141144 may be crossedwith itself or with any second plant. Such methods can be used forpropagation of hybrid PX11423782 and/or the pepper lines SHY114-1080 andSHY1141144, or can be used to produce plants that are derived fromhybrid PX11423782 and/or the pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144.Plants derived from hybrid PX11423782 and/or the pepper linesSHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 may be used, in certain embodiments, for thedevelopment of new pepper varieties.

The development of new varieties using one or more starting varieties iswell known in the art. In accordance with the invention, novel varietiesmay be created by crossing hybrid PX11423782 followed by multiplegenerations of breeding according to such well known methods. Newvarieties may be created by crossing with any second plant. In selectingsuch a second plant to cross for the purpose of developing novel lines,it may be desired to choose those plants which either themselves exhibitone or more selected desirable characteristics or which exhibit thedesired characteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Once initialcrosses have been made, inbreeding and selection take place to producenew varieties. For development of a uniform line, often five or moregenerations of selfing and selection are involved.

Uniform lines of new varieties may also be developed by way ofdouble-haploids. This technique allows the creation of true breedinglines without the need for multiple generations of selfing andselection. In this manner true breeding lines can be produced in aslittle as one generation. Haploid embryos may be produced frommicrospores, pollen, anther cultures, or ovary cultures. The haploidembryos may then be doubled autonomously, or by chemical treatments(e.g. colchicine treatment). Alternatively, haploid embryos may be growninto haploid plants and treated to induce chromosome doubling. In eithercase, fertile homozygous plants are obtained. In accordance with theinvention, any of such techniques may be used in connection with a plantof the invention and progeny thereof to achieve a homozygous line.

Backcrossing can also be used to improve an inbred plant. Backcrossingtransfers a specific desirable trait from one inbred or non-inbredsource to an inbred that lacks that trait. This can be accomplished, forexample, by first crossing a superior inbred (A) (recurrent parent) to adonor inbred (non-recurrent parent), which carries the appropriate locusor loci for the trait in question. The progeny of this cross are thenmated back to the superior recurrent parent (A) followed by selection inthe resultant progeny for the desired trait to be transferred from thenon-recurrent parent. After five or more backcross generations withselection for the desired trait, the progeny have the characteristicbeing transferred, but are like the superior parent for most or almostall other loci. The last backcross generation would be selfed to givepure breeding progeny for the trait being transferred.

The plants of the present invention are particularly well suited for thedevelopment of new lines based on the elite nature of the geneticbackground of the plants. In selecting a second plant to cross withPX11423782 and/or pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 for thepurpose of developing novel pepper lines, it will typically be preferredto choose those plants which either themselves exhibit one or moreselected desirable characteristics or which exhibit the desiredcharacteristic(s) when in hybrid combination. Examples of desirabletraits may include, in specific embodiments, high seed yield, high seedgermination, seedling vigor, high fruit yield, disease tolerance orresistance, and adaptability for soil and climate conditions.Consumer-driven traits, such as a fruit shape, color, texture, and tasteare other examples of traits that may be incorporated into new lines ofpepper plants developed by this invention.

D. Performance Characteristics

As described above, hybrid PX11423782 exhibits desirable traits, asconferred by pepper lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144. The performancecharacteristics of hybrid PX11423782 and pepper lines SHY114-1080 andSHY1141144 were the subject of an objective analysis of the performancetraits relative to other varieties. The results of the analysis arepresented below.

TABLE 4 Performance Characteristics for Hybrid PX11423782 andComparative varieties Avg Avg Avg. Fruit Fruit Avg Yield Length WidthFruit plt-1 g cm cm Weight g Fruit #/plt PX11423782 1935 22.0 4.5 64.530.0 Sweet Spot 1732 21.2 4.0 57.2 30.3 Sweet Banana 1440 17.0 4.0 55.526.0

E. Further Embodiments Of The Invention

In certain aspects of the invention, plants described herein areprovided modified to include at least a first desired heritable trait.Such plants may, in one embodiment, be developed by a plant breedingtechnique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to a genetic locus transferred into the plant viathe backcrossing technique. The term single locus converted plant asused herein refers to those pepper plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of a variety arerecovered in addition to the single locus transferred into the varietyvia the backcrossing technique. By essentially all of the morphologicaland physiological characteristics, it is meant that the characteristicsof a plant are recovered that are otherwise present when compared in thesame environment, other than an occasional variant trait that mightarise during backcrossing or direct introduction of a transgene.

Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improveor introduce a characteristic into the present variety. The parentalpepper plant which contributes the locus for the desired characteristicis termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers tothe fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcrossprotocol and therefore does not recur. The parental pepper plant towhich the locus or loci from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred isknown as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in thebackcrossing protocol.

In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest(recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent)that carries the single locus of interest to be transferred. Theresulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to therecurrent parent and the process is repeated until a pepper plant isobtained wherein essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the convertedplant, in addition to the single transferred locus from the nonrecurrentparent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalvariety. To accomplish this, a single locus of the recurrent variety ismodified or substituted with the desired locus from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphologicalconstitution of the original variety. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross; one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable trait to theplant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristicor trait being altered and the genetic distance between the recurrentand nonrecurrent parents. Although backcrossing methods are simplifiedwhen the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, arecessive allele, or an additive allele (between recessive anddominant), may also be transferred. In this instance it may be necessaryto introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desiredcharacteristic has been successfully transferred.

In one embodiment, progeny pepper plants of a backcross in which a plantdescribed herein is the recurrent parent comprise (i) the desired traitfrom the non-recurrent parent and (ii) all of the physiological andmorphological characteristics of pepper the recurrent parent asdetermined at the 5% significance level when grown in the sameenvironmental conditions.

New varieties can also be developed from more than two parents. Thetechnique, known as modified backcrossing, uses different recurrentparents during the backcrossing. Modified backcrossing may be used toreplace the original recurrent parent with a variety having certain moredesirable characteristics or multiple parents may be used to obtaindifferent desirable characteristics from each.

With the development of molecular markers associated with particulartraits, it is possible to add additional traits into an established germline, such as represented here, with the end result being substantiallythe same base germplasm with the addition of a new trait or traits.Molecular breeding, as described in Moose and Mumm, 2008 (PlantPhysiology, 147: 969-977), for example, and elsewhere, provides amechanism for integrating single or multiple traits or QTL into an eliteline. This molecular breeding-facilitated movement of a trait or traitsinto an elite line may encompass incorporation of a particular genomicfragment associated with a particular trait of interest into the eliteline by the mechanism of identification of the integrated genomicfragment with the use of flanking or associated marker assays. In theembodiment represented here, one, two, three or four genomic loci, forexample, may be integrated into an elite line via this methodology. Whenthis elite line containing the additional loci is further crossed withanother parental elite line to produce hybrid offspring, it is possibleto then incorporate at least eight separate additional loci into thehybrid. These additional loci may confer, for example, such traits as adisease resistance or a fruit quality trait. In one embodiment, eachlocus may confer a separate trait. In another embodiment, loci may needto be homozygous and exist in each parent line to confer a trait in thehybrid. In yet another embodiment, multiple loci may be combined toconfer a single robust phenotype of a desired trait.

Many single locus traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new inbred but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single locus traits may or may not betransgenic; examples of these traits include, but are not limited to,herbicide resistance, resistance to bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,insect resistance, modified fatty acid or carbohydrate metabolism, andaltered nutritional quality. These comprise genes generally inheritedthrough the nucleus.

Direct selection may be applied where the single locus acts as adominant trait. For this selection process, the progeny of the initialcross are assayed for viral resistance and/or the presence of thecorresponding gene prior to the backcrossing. Selection eliminates anyplants that do not have the desired gene and resistance trait, and onlythose plants that have the trait are used in the subsequent backcross.This process is then repeated for all additional backcross generations.

Selection of pepper plants for breeding is not necessarily dependent onthe phenotype of a plant and instead can be based on geneticinvestigations. For example, one can utilize a suitable genetic markerwhich is closely genetically linked to a trait of interest. One of thesemarkers can be used to identify the presence or absence of a trait inthe offspring of a particular cross, and can be used in selection ofprogeny for continued breeding. This technique is commonly referred toas marker assisted selection. Any other type of genetic marker or otherassay which is able to identify the relative presence or absence of atrait of interest in a plant can also be useful for breeding purposes.Procedures for marker assisted selection are well known in the art. Suchmethods will be of particular utility in the case of recessive traitsand variable phenotypes, or where conventional assays may be moreexpensive, time consuming or otherwise disadvantageous. Types of geneticmarkers which could be used in accordance with the invention include,but are not necessarily limited to, Simple Sequence Length Polymorphisms(SSLPs) (Williams et al., Nucleic Acids Res., 1 8:6531-6535, 1990),Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs), DNA AmplificationFingerprinting (DAF), Sequence Characterized Amplified Regions (SCARs),Arbitrary Primed Polymerase Chain Reaction (AP-PCR), Amplified FragmentLength Polymorphisms (AFLPs) (EP 534 858, specifically incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety), and Single NucleotidePolymorphisms (SNPs) (Wang et al., Science, 280:1077-1082, 1998).

F. Plants Derived By Genetic Engineering

Many useful traits that can be introduced by backcrossing, as well asdirectly into a plant, are those which are introduced by genetictransformation techniques. Genetic transformation may therefore be usedto insert a selected transgene into a plant of the invention or may,alternatively, be used for the preparation of transgenes which can beintroduced by backcrossing. Methods for the transformation of plantsthat are well known to those of skill in the art and applicable to manycrop species include, but are not limited to, electroporation,microprojectile bombardment, Agrobacterium-mediated transformation anddirect DNA uptake by protoplasts.

To effect transformation by electroporation, one may employ eitherfriable tissues, such as a suspension culture of cells or embryogeniccallus or alternatively one may transform immature embryos or otherorganized tissue directly. In this technique, one would partiallydegrade the cell walls of the chosen cells by exposing them topectin-degrading enzymes (pectolyases) or mechanically wound tissues ina controlled manner.

An efficient method for delivering transforming DNA segments to plantcells is microprojectile bombardment. In this method, particles arecoated with nucleic acids and delivered into cells by a propellingforce. Exemplary particles include those comprised of tungsten,platinum, and preferably, gold. For the bombardment, cells in suspensionare concentrated on filters or solid culture medium. Alternatively,immature embryos or other target cells may be arranged on solid culturemedium. The cells to be bombarded are positioned at an appropriatedistance below the macroprojectile stopping plate.

An illustrative embodiment of a method for delivering DNA into plantcells by acceleration is the Biolistics Particle Delivery System, whichcan be used to propel particles coated with DNA or cells through ascreen, such as a stainless steel or Nytex screen, onto a surfacecovered with target cells. The screen disperses the particles so thatthey are not delivered to the recipient cells in large aggregates.Microprojectile bombardment techniques are widely applicable, and may beused to transform virtually any plant species.

Agrobacterium-mediated transfer is another widely applicable system forintroducing gene loci into plant cells. An advantage of the technique isthat DNA can be introduced into whole plant tissues, thereby bypassingthe need for regeneration of an intact plant from a protoplast. ModernAgrobacterium transformation vectors are capable of replication in E.coli as well as Agrobacterium, allowing for convenient manipulations(Klee et al., BioTechnology, 3(7):637-642, 1985). Moreover, recenttechnological advances in vectors for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer have improved the arrangement of genes and restriction sites inthe vectors to facilitate the construction of vectors capable ofexpressing various polypeptide coding genes. The vectors described haveconvenient multi-linker regions flanked by a promoter and apolyadenylation site for direct expression of inserted polypeptidecoding genes. Additionally, Agrobacterium containing both armed anddisarmed Ti genes can be used for transformation.

In those plant strains where Agrobacterium-mediated transformation isefficient, it is the method of choice because of the facile and definednature of the gene locus transfer. The use of Agrobacterium-mediatedplant integrating vectors to introduce DNA into plant cells is wellknown in the art (Fraley et al., Bio/Technology, 3:629-635, 1985; U.S.Pat. No. 5,563,055).

Transformation of plant protoplasts also can be achieved using methodsbased on calcium phosphate precipitation, polyethylene glycol treatment,electroporation, and combinations of these treatments (see, e.g.,Potrykus et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 199:183-188, 1985; Omirulleh et al.,Plant Mol. Biol., 21(3):415-428, 1993; Fromm et al., Nature,312:791-793, 1986; Uchimiya et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 204:204, 1986;Marcotte et al., Nature, 335:454, 1988). Transformation of plants andexpression of foreign genetic elements is exemplified in Choi et al.(Plant Cell Rep., 13: 344-348, 1994), and Ellul et al. (Theor. Appl.Genet., 107:462-469, 2003).

A number of promoters have utility for plant gene expression for anygene of interest including but not limited to selectable markers,scoreable markers, genes for pest tolerance, disease resistance,nutritional enhancements and any other gene of agronomic interest.Examples of constitutive promoters useful for plant gene expressioninclude, but are not limited to, the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV)P-35S promoter, which confers constitutive, high-level expression inmost plant tissues (see, e.g., Odel et al., Nature, 313:810, 1985),including in monocots (see, e.g., Dekeyser et al., Plant Cell, 2:591,1990; Terada and Shimamoto, Mol. Gen. Genet., 220:389, 1990); a tandemlyduplicated version of the CaMV 35S promoter, the enhanced 35S promoter(P-e35S); 1 the nopaline synthase promoter (An et al., Plant Physiol.,88:547, 1988); the octopine synthase promoter (Fromm et al., Plant Cell,1:977, 1989); and the figwort mosaic virus (P-FMV) promoter as describedin U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,619 and an enhanced version of the FMV promoter(P-eFMV) where the promoter sequence of P-FMV is duplicated in tandem;the cauliflower mosaic virus 19S promoter; a sugarcane bacilliform viruspromoter; a commelina yellow mottle virus promoter; and other plant DNAvirus promoters known to express in plant cells.

A variety of plant gene promoters that are regulated in response toenvironmental, hormonal, chemical, and/or developmental signals can alsobe used for expression of an operably linked gene in plant cells,including promoters regulated by (1) heat (Callis et al., PlantPhysiol., 88:965, 1988), (2) light (e.g., pea rbcS-3A promoter,Kuhlemeier et al., Plant Cell, 1:471, 1989; maize rbcS promoter,Schaffner and Sheen, Plant Cell, 3:997, 1991; or chlorophyll a/b-bindingprotein promoter, Simpson et al., EMBO J., 4:2723, 1985), (3) hormones,such as abscisic acid (Marcotte et al., Plant Cell, 1:969, 1989), (4)wounding (e.g., wunl, Siebertz et al., Plant Cell, 1:961, 1989); or (5)chemicals such as methyl jasmonate, salicylic acid, or Safener. It mayalso be advantageous to employ organ-specific promoters (e.g., Roshal etal., EMBO J., 6:1155, 1987; Schernthaner et al., EMBO J., 7:1249, 1988;Bustos et al., Plant Cell, 1:839, 1989).

Exemplary nucleic acids which may be introduced to plants of thisinvention include, for example, DNA sequences or genes from anotherspecies, or even genes or sequences which originate with or are presentin the same species, but are incorporated into recipient cells bygenetic engineering methods rather than classical reproduction orbreeding techniques. However, the term “exogenous” is also intended torefer to genes that are not normally present in the cell beingtransformed, or perhaps simply not present in the form, structure, etc.,as found in the transforming DNA segment or gene, or genes which arenormally present and that one desires to express in a manner thatdiffers from the natural expression pattern, e.g., to over-express.Thus, the term “exogenous” gene or DNA is intended to refer to any geneor DNA segment that is introduced into a recipient cell, regardless ofwhether a similar gene may already be present in such a cell. The typeof DNA included in the exogenous DNA can include DNA which is alreadypresent in the plant cell, DNA from another plant, DNA from a differentorganism, or a DNA generated externally, such as a DNA sequencecontaining an antisense message of a gene, or a DNA sequence encoding asynthetic or modified version of a gene.

Many hundreds if not thousands of different genes are known and couldpotentially be introduced into a pepper plant according to theinvention. Non-limiting examples of particular genes and correspondingphenotypes one may choose to introduce into a pepper plant include oneor more genes for insect tolerance, such as a Bacillus thuringiensis(B.t.) gene, pest tolerance such as genes for fungal disease control,herbicide tolerance such as genes conferring glyphosate tolerance, andgenes for quality improvements such as yield, nutritional enhancements,environmental or stress tolerances, or any desirable changes in plantphysiology, growth, development, morphology or plant product(s). Forexample, structural genes would include any gene that confers insecttolerance including but not limited to a Bacillus insect control proteingene as described in WO 99/31248, herein incorporated by reference inits entirety, U.S. Pat. No. 5,689,052, herein incorporated by referencein its entirety, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365 and 5,880,275, hereinincorporated by reference in their entirety. In another embodiment, thestructural gene can confer tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate asconferred by genes including, but not limited to Agrobacterium strainCP4 glyphosate resistant EPSPS gene (aroA:CP4) as described in U.S. Pat.No. 5,633,435, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, orglyphosate oxidoreductase gene (GOX) as described in U.S. Pat. No.5,463,175, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Alternatively, the DNA coding sequences can affect these phenotypes byencoding a non-translatable RNA molecule that causes the targetedinhibition of expression of an endogenous gene, for example viaantisense- or cosuppression-mediated mechanisms (see, for example, Birdet al., Biotech. Gen. Engin. Rev., 9:207, 1991). The RNA could also be acatalytic RNA molecule (i.e., a ribozyme) engineered to cleave a desiredendogenous mRNA product (see for example, Gibson and Shillito, Mol.Biotech., 7:125, 1997). Thus, any gene which produces a protein or mRNAwhich expresses a phenotype or morphology change of interest is usefulfor the practice of the present invention.

G. Definitions

In the description and tables herein, a number of terms are used. Inorder to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, the following definitions are provided:

Allele: Any of one or more alternative forms of a gene locus, all ofwhich alleles relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cellor organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding locion a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Backcrossing: A process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybridprogeny, for example a first generation hybrid (F₁), back to one of theparents of the hybrid progeny. Backcrossing can be used to introduce oneor more single locus conversions from one genetic background intoanother.

Crossing: The mating of two parent plants.

Cross-pollination: Fertilization by the union of two gametes fromdifferent plants.

Diploid: A cell or organism having two sets of chromosomes.

Emasculate: The removal of plant male sex organs or the inactivation ofthe organs with a cytoplasmic or nuclear genetic factor or a chemicalagent conferring male sterility.

Enzymes: Molecules which can act as catalysts in biological reactions.

F₁ Hybrid: The first generation progeny of the cross of two nonisogenicplants.

Genotype: The genetic constitution of a cell or organism.

Haploid: A cell or organism having one set of the two sets ofchromosomes in a diploid.

Linkage: A phenomenon wherein alleles on the same chromosome tend tosegregate together more often than expected by chance if theirtransmission was independent.

Marker: A readily detectable phenotype, preferably inherited incodominant fashion (both alleles at a locus in a diploid heterozygoteare readily detectable), with no environmental variance component, i.e.,heritability of 1.

Phenotype: The detectable characteristics of a cell or organism, whichcharacteristics are the manifestation of gene expression.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL): Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer togenetic loci that control to some degree numerically representabletraits that are usually continuously distributed.

Resistance: As used herein, the terms “resistance” and “tolerance” areused interchangeably to describe plants that show no symptoms to aspecified biotic pest, pathogen, abiotic influence or environmentalcondition. These terms are also used to describe plants showing somesymptoms but that are still able to produce marketable product with anacceptable yield. Some plants that are referred to as resistant ortolerant are only so in the sense that they may still produce a crop,even though the plants are stunted and the yield is reduced.

Regeneration: The development of a plant from tissue culture.

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) color chart value: The RHS color chartis a standardized reference which allows accurate identification of anycolor. A color's designation on the chart describes its hue, brightnessand saturation. A color is precisely named by the RHS color chart byidentifying the group name, sheet number and letter, e.g., Yellow-OrangeGroup 19A or Red Group 41B.

Self-pollination: The transfer of pollen from the anther to the stigmaof the same plant.

Single Locus Converted (Conversion) Plant: Plants which are developed bya plant breeding technique called backcrossing, wherein essentially allof the morphological and physiological characteristics of a peppervariety are recovered in addition to the characteristics of the singlelocus transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique and/orby genetic transformation.

Substantially Equivalent: A characteristic that, when compared, does notshow a statistically significant difference (e.g., p=0.05) from themean.

Tissue Culture: A composition comprising isolated cells of the same or adifferent type or a collection of such cells organized into parts of aplant.

Transgene: A genetic locus comprising a sequence which has beenintroduced into the genome of a pepper plant by transformation.

H. Deposit Information

A deposit of pepper hybrid PX11423782 and inbred parent linesSHY114-1080 and SHY1141144, disclosed above and recited in the claims,has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801University Blvd., Manassas, Va. 20110-2209. The date of deposit were wasDec. 2, 2011. The accession numbers for those deposited seeds of pepperhybrid PX11423782 and inbred parent lines SHY114-1080 and SHY1141144 areATCC Accession No. PTA-12293, ATCC Accession No. PTA-12294, and ATCCAccession No. PTA-12292, respectively. Upon issuance of a patent, allrestrictions upon the deposits will be removed, and the deposits areintended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §1.801-1.809. Thedeposits will be maintained in the depository for a period of 30 years,or 5 years after the last request, or for the effective life of thepatent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced if necessary duringthat period.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail byway of illustration and example for purposes of clarity andunderstanding, it will be obvious that certain changes and modificationsmay be practiced within the scope of the invention, as limited only bythe scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are hereby expressly incorporated herein byreference.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pepper plant comprising at least a first set ofthe chromosomes of pepper line SHY114-1080 or pepper line SHY1141144, asample of seed of said lines having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-12294 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-12292, respectively.
 2. Apepper seed comprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of pepperline SHY114-1080 or pepper line SHY1141144, a sample of seed of saidlines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-12294 andATCC Accession Number PTA-12292, respectively.
 3. The plant of claim 1,which is an inbred.
 4. The plant of claim 1, which is a hybrid.
 5. Theseed of claim 2, which is inbred.
 6. The seed of claim 2, which ishybrid.
 7. The plant of claim 4, wherein the hybrid plant is pepperhybrid PX11423782, a sample of seed of said hybrid PX11423782 havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-12293.
 8. The seed ofclaim 6, defined as a seed of pepper hybrid PX11423782, a sample of seedof said hybrid PX11423782 having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-12293.
 9. The seed of claim 2, defined as a seed of lineSHY114-1080 or line SHY1141144.
 10. A plant part of the plant ofclaim
 1. 11. The plant part of claim 10, further defined as a leaf, aovule, pollen, a fruit, or a cell.
 12. A pepper plant having all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the pepper plant ofclaim
 7. 13. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of the plant ofclaim
 1. 14. The tissue culture according to claim 13, comprising cellsor protoplasts from a plant part selected from the group consisting ofembryos, meristems, cotyledons, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, roottips, pistil, flower, seed and stalks.
 15. A pepper plant regeneratedfrom the tissue culture of claim 13, wherein said plant has all thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the pepper plantcomprising at least a first set of the chromosomes of pepper lineSHY114-1080 or pepper line SHY1141144, a sample of seed of said lineshaving been deposited under Accession Number PTA-12294 and ATCCAccession Number PTA-12292, respectively.
 16. A method of vegetativelypropagating the pepper plant of claim 1 comprising the steps of: (a)collecting tissue capable of being propagated from a plant according toclaim 1; (b) cultivating said tissue to obtain proliferated shoots; and(c) rooting said proliferated shoots to obtain rooted plantlets.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising growing at least a first pepperplant from said rooted plantlets.
 18. A method of introducing a desiredtrait into a pepper line, comprising: (a) utilizing as a recurrentparent a plant of either pepper line SHY114-1080 or pepper lineSHY1141144, by crossing a plant of pepper line SHY114-1080 or pepperline SHY1141144 with a second donor pepper plant that comprises adesired trait to produce F1 progeny, a sample of seed of said lineshaving been deposited under Accession Number PTA-12294, and ATCCAccession Number PTA-12292, respectively; (b) selecting an F1 progenythat comprises the desired trait; (c) backcrossing the selected F1progeny with a plant of the same pepper line used as the recurrentparent in step (a), to produce backcross progeny; (d) selectingbackcross progeny comprising the desired trait and the physiological andmorphological characteristics of the recurrent parent pepper line usedin step (a); and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) three or more times toproduce selected fourth or higher backcross progeny that comprise thedesired trait, and otherwise comprise essentially all of themorphological and physiological characteristics of the recurrent parentpepper line used in step (a).
 19. A pepper plant produced by the methodof claim
 18. 20. A method of producing a pepper plant comprising anadded trait, the method comprising introducing a transgene conferringthe trait into a plant of pepper hybrid PX11423782, pepper lineSHY114-1080 or pepper line SHY1141144, a sample of seed of said hybridand lines having been deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-12293,ATCC Accession Number PTA-12294, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-12292,respectively.
 21. A pepper plant produced by the method of claim
 20. 22.The plant of claim 1, further comprising a transgene.
 23. The plant ofclaim 22, wherein the transgene confers a trait selected from the groupconsisting of male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance,pest resistance, disease resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism,environmental stress tolerance, modified carbohydrate metabolism andmodified protein metabolism.
 24. The plant of claim 1, furthercomprising a single locus conversion wherein said plant otherwisecomprises essentially all of the morphological and physiologicalcharacteristics of the pepper plant comprising at least a first set ofthe chromosomes of pepper line SHY114-1080 or pepper line SHY1141144, asample of seed of said lines having been deposited under ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-12294 and ATCC Accession Number PTA-12292, respectively. 25.The plant of claim 24, wherein the single locus conversion confers atrait selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicidetolerance, insect resistance, pest resistance, disease resistance,modified fatty acid metabolism, environmental stress tolerance, modifiedcarbohydrate metabolism and modified protein metabolism.
 26. A methodfor producing a pepper seed of a plant derived from at least one ofpepper hybrid PX11423782, pepper line SHY114-1080 or pepper lineSHY1141144 comprising the steps of: (a) crossing a pepper plant ofhybrid PX11423782, line SHY114-1080 or line SHY1141144 with itself or asecond pepper plant; a sample of seed of said hybrid and lines havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-12293, ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-12294, and ATCC Accession Number PTA-12292, respectively; and(b) allowing seed of a hybrid PX11423782, line SHY114-1080 or lineSHY1141144-derived pepper plant to form.
 27. The method of claim 26,further comprising the steps of: (c) selling a plant grown from saidhybrid PX11423782, line SHY114-1080 or line SHY1141144-derived pepperseed to yield additional hybrid PX11423782, line SHY114-1080 or lineSHY1141144-derived pepper seed; (d) growing said additional hybridPX11423782, line SHY114-1080 or line SHY1141144-derived pepper seed ofstep (c) to yield additional hybrid PX11423782, line SHY114-1080 or lineSHY1141144-derived pepper plants; and (e) repeating the crossing andgrowing steps of (c) and (d) to generate at least a first further hybridPX11423782, line SHY114-1080 or line SHY1141144-derived pepper plant.28. The method of claim 26, wherein the second pepper plant is of aninbred pepper line.
 29. The method of claim 26, comprising crossing lineSHY114-1080 with line SHY1141144, a sample of seed of said lines havingbeen deposited under ATCC Accession Number PTA-12294, and ATCC AccessionNumber PTA-12292, respectively.
 30. The method of claim 27, furthercomprising: (f) crossing the further hybrid PX11423782, line SHY114-1080or line SHY1141144-derived pepper plant with a second pepper plant toproduce seed of a hybrid progeny plant.
 31. A plant part of the plant ofclaim
 7. 32. The plant part of claim 31, further defined as a leaf, aflower, a fruit, an ovule, pollen, or a cell.
 33. A method of producinga pepper seed comprising crossing the plant of claim 1 with itself or asecond pepper plant and allowing seed to form.
 34. A method of producinga pepper fruit comprising: (a) obtaining a plant according to claim 1,wherein the plant has been cultivated to maturity; and (b) collecting apepper from the plant.